Landscaping - Plant and Shrub Protection

There's nothing worse than spending hundreds maybe thousands of dollars on new Plants and shrubs for your landscape only to have them damaged by Mother Nature. Plant and shrub Protection is very important especially in a young landscape.

Spring Protection involves shielding tender Plants and blooms from a late frost that can wipe out an entire investment. What is used to protect Plants depends on what is being covered; a whole bed of petunias or a prized tomato Plant.

Coverings vary from bed sheets, to sticks and plastic, to pre-designed reusable structures. When covering tender Plants take caution that the coverings do not lie on the Plants or touch the leaves.
Winter Protection for your landscape involves preventative care for your tender perennials and young or delicate shrubs. Winter damage can occur from diverse sources.

Evergreen shrubs need to be protected from the drying winds of winter. Moisture evaporates faster than the frozen roots can replenish leaving the needles brown on the tips or even worse. Bushes need to be shielded from the wind and also a strong sunny southern exposure. For large evergreens, burlap wraps are available otherwise building a windscreen is sufficient.

Young shrubs, evergreen or deciduous, and perennials need to be protected from more than just the wind. Plant damage can occur from hungry rabbits and deer, bark or root damage from extreme temperature changes, and structural damage from heavy snowfall especially when Planted near sidewalks and driveways.

Perennial Protection can be as simple as a good mulch cover, but shrub Protection usually requires more creativity and some construction. It can involve tepees made of evergreen branches, chicken wire filled with leaves, or complex frames to protect shrubs from the snow. Pre-made devices are available on the market and can be convenient depending on simplicity of installation and storage, for instance The Garden Dome made by Riverbirch.

The time, money and effort spent on protecting your new landscape are an investment with a profitable return in years of enjoyment and loads of compliments on your beautiful landscape.

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